JDM Engine Prices - Covid or Demand?

[SupaDoopa]

Originally Posted by Corbic

I think Japanese inefficiency spoiled people. No US wrecker would sell a complete engine, with accessories, and harness and ECU, and transmission for what the Japanese did.

Here, we strip it down to the long block, selling the manifolds, accessories, harnesses, fuel rails, etc all separate. Selling the trans and ECU separate etc.

I suspect, 20 years ago, people would have gladly paid $3,500+ for an SR20. The only issue was l, why do that when you can pay $2k?

Maybe if this shit was more expensive then, people would have value it more and we'd see more of it today.

There used to be an importer in NY I'd go to literally every time I got a new S-chassis in for a swap and it would be $1,900 complete - harness, ECU, transmission, etc. The full boat. This was in 2009 or so? If I got more than one, price would go down. Granted the harnesses had cut ends, a replacement harness wasn't expensive if I didn't want to solder in ends off of the motor I pulled. They had them in troves. SRs, RBs, 2Js, etc. This is what people got because at the time, there was no other mainstream option where it was a plug and play [like what we have with SIKKY/Hooker/FUELED/ISR/XYZwhoevermotorswapcompany swap kits now].

I understand the stock is slowly diminishing but there has to be a certain point you have to be like 'hey, there are better, more modern options for less.' If you're building a 'period correct' car, cool. Whatever. Don't read this comment. For everyone else who has a job and wants to go out there sliding without worrying about throwing rocker arms or needing an immediately turbo upgrade just to keep up, this is for you.

Inflation sucks. Spending more money to have something less powerful/reliable sucks worse.

[Corbic]

Originally Posted by SupaDoopa

There used to be an importer in NY I'd go to literally every time I got a new S-chassis in for a swap and it would be $1,900 complete - harness, ECU, transmission, etc. The full boat. This was in 2009 or so? If I got more than one, price would go down. Granted the harnesses had cut ends, a replacement harness wasn't expensive if I didn't want to solder in ends off of the motor I pulled. They had them in troves. SRs, RBs, 2Js, etc. This is what people got because at the time, there was no other mainstream option where it was a plug and play [like what we have with SIKKY/Hooker/FUELED/ISR/XYZwhoevermotorswapcompany swap kits now].

I understand the stock is slowly diminishing but there has to be a certain point you have to be like 'hey, there are better, more modern options for less.' If you're building a 'period correct' car, cool. Whatever. Don't read this comment. For everyone else who has a job and wants to go out there sliding without worrying about throwing rocker arms or needing an immediately turbo upgrade just to keep up, this is for you.

Inflation sucks. Spending more money to have something less powerful/reliable sucks worse.

My question is, what happened to all the imported engines? Did they all really end up in the scrapped?

[AKADriver]

Originally Posted by Corbic

My question is, what happened to all the imported engines? Did they all really end up in the scrapped?

They're still out there

A lot of them are in cars, and running

A lot of them are in people's derelict garage furniture, not running. Especially when something expensive breaks that's beyond the skills/budget required to slap in a stock SR swap back when they were cheap.

And most critically a lot of them are sitting for sale on FBM but unlike the JDM engine importers, the private sellers who own them can't easily palletize and freight them to you. I've seen lots of reasonably priced SRs pop up on FBM but they're just in some guy's garage in Georgia or something which is no good if you're nowhere near Georgia.

[Future240]

Originally Posted by AKADriver

And most critically a lot of them are sitting for sale on FBM but unlike the JDM engine importers, the private sellers who own them can't easily palletize and freight them to you. I've seen lots of reasonably priced SRs pop up on FBM but they're just in some guy's garage in Georgia or something which is no good if you're nowhere near Georgia.

Im in GA and I bought a notch top witha spun bearing with transmission (cylinder walls look great) for $400.



I gave up on my dream of an RB swapped S14. It would be just too much money at this point so when I saw the SR I jumped on it.

now its sitting in the workship while I bought swap parts though had to 7pause it as I rebuilding my LM7 for my Silverado first.

[SupaDoopa]

Originally Posted by Corbic

My question is, what happened to all the imported engines? Did they all really end up in the scrapped?

Half of them were neglected and JDM cool kids threw rods/destroyed the heads and turned them into tables, a quarter of them are running, and a quarter are sitting on a shelf to either be tossed/built/resold.